Roy
Acuff, "King of the Hillbillies," "Backwoods Sinatra," "Caruso of Mountain
Music," sold more records than any other country star in the '30s and '40s.
His image was so powerful that legend has it that Japanese troops would scream
"To Hell with Babe Ruth- To Hell with Roy Acuff" as they entered a battle;
however untrue the story may be, Acuff was the star of country music during
its early days. Acuff was born in Maynardsville, TN and was a minor league
baseball player before an injury ended his career. In the wake of his disappointment,
he began learning to play his father's fiddle, and soon began playing with
a traveling medicine show. Acuff and the other musicians drew crowds to the
show, as it traveled through the South, so that the doctor could hawk his
concoction.

In 1934, Roy and his band the Crazy Tennesseans
began auditioning for WNOX in Knoxville, TN and WSM's Grand Ole Opry in Nashville.
They quickly gained a following and earned an opportunity to record. They
also began experimenting with popular crooning styles mixed with traditional
sounds, but Acuff was more inclined to hillbilly music. In 1936, he recorded
"The Great Speckled Bird"- the song that would make him famous. In 1938, Acuff
and his band finally got the opportunity to perform on the Opry when they
were asked to fill in for Fiddling Arthur Smith (who was dealing with a drinking
problem). Acuff performed "The Great Speckled Bird" in his new crooning style
and did not expect to get asked back. When the Opry needed another fill-in,
Alton Delmore, who had been impressed with Acuff's eagerness, recommended
him. This time the band performed the same song in a style that suited Acuff,
"hard-core hillbilly." Acuff was an instant success and soon joined the Opry
as a featured performer. Soon after, he recorded "Wabash Cannonball," and
as his popularity grew, he solidified the Grand Ole Opry and WSM as the center
of country music.

Acuff
and his (renamed) Smoky Mountain Boys did not just perform hillbilly songs;
they gave a complete stage show, including vaudeville/minstrel-style skits
and slapstick. As his popularity grew, Acuff eliminated the "progressive"
members of his band- those who advocated the crooning and jazz influences-
and replaced the pop-oriented and risqué love songs. He refashioned the band
as an old-time string band and added more traditional sounding and religious
songs to their repertoire. Despite their rustic image, Acuff did make some
innovations; he introduced the dobro, which added a popular Hawaiian sound,
to the hillbilly string-band. Acuff continued recording and performing on
the Opry well into the 1990s. He also ran for Governor of Tennessee in 1948;
the current Gov. had declined to attend an Opry party because he felt that
Acuff was personally responsible for turning Nashville into the hillbilly
capitol of the World. Acuff announced his plans on the Opry, and toured the
state seeking support from those maligned by the Governor, but he lost the
race.